Paper feed tray with image scanning function and printer thereof

ABSTRACT

A paper feed tray with the image scanning function of a printer includes a set of paper feed rollers, a set of paper exit rollers, and an optical scanning module. The optical scanning module is located between the set of paper feed rollers and the set of paper exit rollers, wherein the paper feed rollers grab documents waiting for being scanned and transfer the documents through the image scanning module. Each of the documents is scanned by the image scanning module and then transferred out of the printer by the paper exit rollers. Hence the printer with the paper feed tray may serve as an image scanning apparatus.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 094131732 filed in Taiwan, R.O.C. on Sep. 14, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a scanning machine. More particular, the present invention relates to a paper feed tray with the image scanning function by integrating an optical scanning module.

2. Related Art

Normally, printers only have the printing function. If a user wants to scan, fax, or copy an image, the user has to add an additional scanner and connect to a computer in order to achieve the function of image scanning. Since the printers are very popular and the printing technique has been improved tremendously, it becomes more practical for the printers to have multiple functions. Indeed, now there are multi-function peripherals (MFP) with the functions of printing, image scanning, document faxing, copying, and even card reading. The MFP integrates the scanning module and the printing module together. Therefore, the MFP's has advantages of space saving and easy operation than the combination of printer and scanner. However, for the job demands of most people, the chances of using the scanning function are not as many as the printing function. Thus, the scanning function of the MFP is often idle for ordinary people. Nevertheless, if a user uses a printer without the scanning function and later on finds the need for scanning, the user then has to purchase a scanner. This in turn requires more space and causes trouble in operations.

A solution is to provide a scanning module as a removable device so that the user can determine whether to install it on a printer according to the user's needs for scanning. In this way, the scanning module can be integrated as part of the printer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, the object of the invention is to provide a paper feed tray with the image scanning function for a printer to have both image scanning and printing functions.

To achieve the above object, the disclosed paper feed tray with the image scanning function can be mounted in a printer for enabling the printer to scan images.

One side of the paper feed tray is provided with a set of paper feed rollers, a set of paper exit rollers, and an optical scanning module. The optical scanning module is disposed between the set of paper feed rollers and the set of paper exit rollers. The paper feed rollers grab documents waiting for being scanned and then transfer the documents through the image scanning module. Each of the documents is scanned by the image scanning module and then transferred to the track of paper feed of the printer by the paper exit rollers.

Preferably, the invention further includes a connecting terminal on the paper feed tray and an extension terminal on the printer. The connecting terminal and the extension terminal can be connected for the printer to transfer electrical power and control signals to the paper feed tray for its operation.

A feature of the invention is that the paper feed tray can be quickly mounted or dismounted so that the user can readily integrate the image scanning function to a printer. The user can determine whether to enable the paper tray, depending on whether to use the scanning function. The scanning function of the paper feed tray can be turned off for paper replenishment. Therefore, the functions of the printer become more flexible.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of partial components in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is the block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the disclosed system;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 5 to 7 are flowcharts of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a paper feed tray with the image scanning function. The paper feed tray can be installed in a printer for the printer to have the image scanning function, forming a multi-function printer.

A multi-function printer according to the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of partial components in FIG. 1.

The multi-function printer has a main body 100. The main body 100 includes a paper feed track 110, several paper supply rollers 120, a printing module 130, a first containing space 140, a second containing space 150, a first paper grabbing roller 160, and a second paper grabbing roller 170. The paper supply rollers 120 are provided on both sides of the paper feed track 110. Besides, the paper feed track 110 is coupled to the printing module 136, the first containing space 140, the second containing space 150, and the exterior of the main body 100. The exterior of the main body 100 is disposed with a paper feed base 180 coupled to the middle section of the paper feed track 110 for directly grabbing paper from outside. The first paper grabbing roller 160 is disposed at the junction between the first containing space 140 and the paper feed track 110. The second paper grabbing roller 170 is disposed at the junction between the second containing space 150 and the paper feed track 110. On the other hand, paper is grabbed from the first containing space 140 and the second containing space 150 and transferred to the paper feed track 110. Besides, the first containing space 140 is installed with an extension terminal 141 for transferring electrical power and control signals.

A first paper feed tray 200 is disposed in the first containing space 140 for holding documents 501 to be scanned. The first paper feed tray 200 has a support board 211, an adjusting unit 212, and a pressing element 213. The support board 211 is pivotally installed at the bottom of the first paper feed tray 200 for supporting the documents 501 to be scanned. The adjusting unit 212 is movably disposed on the support board 211 to slide relative to the first paper feed tray 200 and the support board 211. It adjusts the position of the documents 501 to be scanned according to their size in order to push them against one side of the first paper feed tray 200, so the documents 501 to be scanned are stably held in the first paper feed tray 200. The pressing element 213 is disposed below the support board 211 for raising the support board 211. The other side of the first paper feed tray 200 is installed with a set of paper feed rollers 220, a set of paper exit rollers 230, and an optical scanning module 240. The paper feed rollers 220 are grouped by pairs to grab the documents 501 to be scanned on the first paper feed tray 200. As the support board 211 is raised by the pressing element 213, the uppermost document 501 to be scanned touches against one of the paper feed rollers 220 for the paper feed rollers 220 to grab. Also, the paper exit rollers 230 are grouped into pairs and correspond to the first paper grabbing roller 160. The optical scanning module 240 is disposed on the paper feeding path between the paper feed rollers 220 and the paper exit rollers 230. It includes an image capture device 241 and a scanning light source 242. The image capture device 241 can be Charge Coupled Device (CCD) or Contact Image Sensor (CIS) for receiving and converting optical signals into image data for further processing. The scanning light source 242 projects an incident beam onto the document 501 to be scanned, and a reflected beam is then received by the image capture device 241. The first paper feed tray 200 is also provided with a paper control block 250 for adjusting the distance between the paper and the image capture device 241. The paper feed rollers 220 transfers the document 501 to be scanned through the optical scanning module 240 for scanning and then transferred by the paper exit rollers 230 to the first paper grabbing roller 160. Afterwards, the document 501 is transferred by the first paper grabbing roller 160 to the paper feed track 110 and then out of the main body 100. In addition, the first paper tray 200 is installed with a connecting terminal 260 to be connected with the extension terminal 141 on the main body 100 for receiving the electrical power and control signals from the main body 100.

A second paper feed tray 300 is disposed in the second containing space 150 for holding plain paper 502. The second paper feed tray 300 has a support board 311, an adjusting unit 312, and a pressing element 313. The support board 311 is pivotally installed at the bottom of the second paper feed tray 300 for supporting the plain paper 502. And the adjusting unit 312 is movably disposed on the support board 311 to slide relative to the second paper feed tray 300 and the support board 311. It adjusts the position of the plain paper 502 according to the size in order to push the plain paper 502 against one side of the second paper feed tray 300, so the plain paper 502 is stably held in the second paper feed tray 300. The pressing element 313 is disposed below the support board 311 for raising the support board 311. The other side of the second paper feed tray 300 corresponds to the second paper grabbing roller 170. As the support board 311 is raised by the pressing element 313, the uppermost plain paper 502 touches against the second paper grabbing roller 170 for the second paper grabbing roller 170 to grab, so the plain paper 502 is transferred into the paper feed track 110 through the printing module 130 for printing. Afterwards, the paper is transferred out of the main body 100.

Please refer to FIG. 3 for a system block diagram of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

The paper feed rollers 220, the paper exit rollers 230, and the optical scanning module 240 are electrically coupled to the connecting terminal 260. After the first paper feed tray 200 is inserted into the first containing space 140, the connecting terminal 260 is connected to the extension terminal 141 for the first paper feed tray 200 to be powered and controlled by the main body 100. The main body 100 is disposed with a control circuit 190. In addition to the connection with the extension terminal 141 for controlling the first paper feed tray 200, the control circuit 190 also connects to the paper supply rollers 120, the printing module 130, the first paper grabbing roller 160, and the second paper grabbing roller 170 for controlling the scanning and printing processes.

The user can switch among different functions via an operating interface 191 and the operating interface 191 is connected to the control circuit 190. It contains a first display unit 191 a and an input unit 191 b for the user to set functional modes and understand the operating status. After setting the functional modes via the operating interface 191, the control circuit 190 can control the paper feed rollers 220 to grab a document 501 to be scanned from the first paper feed tray 200. Then the document 501 to be scanned is transferred through the optical scanning module 240 for scanning. After the image data obtained by scanning are sent to the control circuit 190, the control circuit 190 transfers the image data to a buffer memory 192 for storage. The document 501 to be scanned is transferred by the paper exit rollers 230 to the first paper grabbing roller 160 and then to the paper feed track 110. Finally, the paper supply rollers 120 push the document 501 out of the main body 100.

The image data stored in the buffer memory 192 can be transmitted to a computer 400 via the control circuit 190 or to the printing module 130 for printing.

When the image data are transmitted to the printing module 130 for printing, the control circuit 190 controls the second paper grabbing roller 170 to grab the plain paper 502 from the second paper feed tray 300. The plain paper 502 pass in sequence through the paper feed track 110 and the printing module 130 for printing the image data on the plain paper 502.

As shown in FIG. 4, if the multi-function printer does not need to scan but just print, then the scanning function of the first paper feed tray 200 can be turned off. In this case, the function of the first paper feed tray 200 is exactly the same as the second paper feed tray 300 above it. This increases the flexibility of the multi-function printer. For example, one may choose to put plain paper 502 to increase the capacity of the plain paper 502. Alternatively, one may put in plain papers of different sizes to increase the flexibility of printing. Since this function is the same as the conventional printer, we do not repeat herein.

FIG. 5 shows the system procedure after the scanning function is initialized according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, checking whether the multi-function printer can start scanning. After the scanning function is started, the control circuit 190 first performs a detection job to detect whether the extension terminal 141 and the connecting terminal 260 are connected, thereby determining whether the first paper feed tray 200 is disposed in the first containing space 140 and connected to the main body 100 (step A). If the first paper feed tray 200 is not connected to the main body 100, the scanning function terminates and a warning signal is output to the user via the operating interface 191 for the user to check the first paper feed tray 200. If the first paper feed tray 200 is indeed connected to the main body 100, the system further detects whether there is any document 501 to be scanned in the first paper feed tray 200 (step B). If there is a document 501 to be scanned in the first paper feed tray 200, then the scanning operation is performed; otherwise, the system terminates the scanning operation and notifies the user. The user can select different scanning modes for scanning according to the needs (steps C and D).

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the preferred embodiment of the invention has two different scanning modes, a first mode and a second mode, according to the user's needs and the capacity of the buffer memory 192.

In the first mode, the digital image data are immediately stored in the buffer memory 192 after a document 501 is scanned. The image data are then transferred to the computer 400 according to the user's request or printed according to the required quantity. The capacity of the buffer memory 192 in the first mode only needs to be able to accommodate the image data of a single document. Therefore, it requires a smaller capacity. However, the image data in the buffer memory 192 have to be removed each time after the document 501 is scanned and output or printed, so the processing speed is thus slower. FIG. 6 shows the flowchart of the first mode. Once the first mode starts, the system first checks whether there is any document 501 to be scanned, in the first paper feed tray 200 (step E). Afterwards, scanning operation is performed and one document 501 to be scanned is grabbed for scanning (step F). The scanned image data are stored in the buffer memory 192 (step G) and then output to the computer 400 or printed on plain paper 502 by the printing module 130 according to the required quantity (step H). The data in the buffer memory 192 are subsequently removed (step I), and the system continues the task of scanning the next document 501 (step E) until all the documents 501 to be scanned are scanned.

In the second mode, the system waits until all the documents 501 to be scanned are scanned before it sends the data to the computer 400 or prints out at a time. The second mode can be chosen to clear the buffer memory 192 after all the documents 501 are scanned and printed or output. This can reduce the waiting time to start the printing module 130 or to call the computer. However, it requires a larger buffer memory 192, and the quantity of documents 501 to be scanned is limited by the capacity of the buffer memory 192. FIG. 7 illustrates the flowchart of the second mode. Once the second mode is initialized, the system first performs a checking operation to determine whether there is any document 501 to be scanned in the first paper feed tray (step J). Afterwards, the system performs the scanning (step K). The scanned image data are stored in the buffer memory 192 at the same time (step L), so that the digital image data of all the documents 501 are simultaneously stored in the buffer memory 192. After each time a scanning operation is completed, the system detects again the first paper feed tray 200 to see if there are any more documents 501 to be scanned 501 (step M). The scanning operation continues as long as there are documents 501 to be scanned. If there is no document 501 to be scanned in the first paper feed tray 200, the image data in the buffer memory 192 are printed or output at a time (step N). Once the printing or output operation is completed, the data in the buffer memory 192 are cleared (step O).

In addition to printing and output data to the computer 400, the first mode and the second mode can be used in document faxing. In the first mode, the system first dial out and wait for a response from a fax machine of the other party. Afterwards, the system scans the documents 501 to be scanned and outputs in sequence. In the second mode, the system first scans all the documents 501 and stores all the digital image data in the buffer memory 192. Afterwards, the system dials and waits for a response from a fax machine of the other party. Finally, all the image data are output by faxing.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims. 

1. A multi-function printer, comprising: a main body, which has a paper feed track, a plurality of paper supply rollers, a printing module, a first containing space, a second containing space, a first paper grabbing roller, and a second paper grabbing roller; wherein the paper supply rollers are disposed on both sides of the paper feed track, the paper feed track is connected to the first containing space, the second containing space, and the exterior of the main body, the first paper grabbing roller is disposed at the junction between the first containing space and the paper feed track, and the second paper grabbing roller is disposed at the junction between the second containing space and the paper feed track; a first paper feed tray for accommodating documents to be scanned, which is disposed in the first containing space and has a set of paper feed rollers, a set of paper exit rollers, and an optical scanning module on one side; wherein the paper exit rollers are disposed corresponding to the first paper grabbing roller, the optical scanning module is disposed between the paper feed rollers and the paper exit rollers, the paper feed rollers grab and transfer the documents to be scanned through the optical scanning module for scanning, and the documents are grabbed and pushed by the first paper grabbing roller and the paper exit rollers into the paper feed track and transferred out of the main body; and a second paper feed tray for accommodating plain papers, which is disposed in the second containing space and whose one side corresponds to the second paper grabbing roller for transferring the plain paper into the paper feed track, pushing it through the printing module for printing, and transferring it out of the main body.
 2. The multi-function printer of claim 1, wherein the paper feed rollers are grouped in pairs.
 3. The multi-function printer of claim 1, wherein the paper exit rollers are grouped in pairs.
 4. The multi-function printer of claim 1, wherein the optical scanning module contains an image capture device and a scanning light source.
 5. The multi-function printer of claim 1, wherein the first paper feed tray is disposed with a paper control block for adjusting the distance between the document to be scanned and the image capture device.
 6. The multi-function printer of claim 1, wherein the main body has a control circuit to connect with the paper supply rollers, the printing module, the paper feed rollers, the paper exit rollers, and the image capture device for controlling.
 7. The multi-function printer of claim 5, wherein the first paper feed tray further includes a connecting terminal connected to the paper feed rollers, the paper exit rollers, and the image capture device, the main body is disposed with an extension terminal connected to the control circuit, and the connecting terminal and the extension terminal are connected to each other.
 8. The multi-function printer of claim 6, wherein the main body has an operating interface connected to the control circuit and containing a display unit and an input unit for the user to set functional modes and to understand operation status.
 9. The multi-function printer of claim 6, further comprising a buffer memory connected to the control circuit.
 10. A paper feed tray with the scanning function for a printer, comprising: a paper feed tray for accommodating documents to be scanned; a set of paper exit rollers disposed on one side of the paper feed tray; a set of paper feed rollers disposed between the paper feed tray and the paper exit rollers; and an optical scanning module disposed between the set of paper feed rollers and the set of paper exit rollers; wherein the paper feed rollers grab and push the documents to be scanned through the optical scanning module for scanning, and the paper exit rollers transfer the documents out.
 11. The paper tray with the scanning function of claim 10, wherein the paper feed rollers are grouped in pairs.
 12. The paper tray with the scanning function of claim 10, wherein the paper exit rollers are grouped in pairs.
 13. The paper tray with the scanning function of claim 10, wherein the optical scanning module includes an image capture device and a scanning light source.
 14. The paper tray with the scanning function of claim 10, wherein the paper feed tray is provided with a paper control block for adjusting the gap between a paper and the image capture device.
 15. The paper tray with the scanning function of claim 10, wherein the paper feed tray further includes a connecting terminal for receiving electrical power and control signals.
 16. A scanning method, comprising the steps of: disposing documents to be scanned in a paper feed tray with an optical scanning module, paper feed rollers, and paper exit rollers; disposing the paper feed tray in a printer to be powered and controlled by the printer; pushing the documents to be scanned through the optical scanning module for scanning by the paper feed rollers, thereby capturing image data thereof; and pushing the documents to the printer by the paper exit rollers and transferring the documents out of the printer.
 17. The scanning method of claim 16, wherein the image data captured by the optical scanning module are stored in a buffer memory.
 18. The scanning method of claim 17, wherein the image data are transferred from the buffer memory to a printing module for printing.
 19. The scanning method of claim 16, wherein the printing job is performed after each time one of the documents is scanned.
 20. The scanning method of claim 16, wherein the printing job is performed after all of the documents are scanned. 